The Oasis - February 19, 2020

February 19, 2020
Rev. Estelle Margarones

You’ve surely heard the expression, “What a difference a day makes!” In reflecting upon yesterday’s weather, it is certainly true of yesterday and today. In fact, after the biting cold on Tuesday, 32 felt downright balmy when I brought in my paper today. 

I may not be coining a phrase here, but I want to say, “what a difference a few miles makes”! I went to a clergy workshop yesterday morning at a church in Yarmouth. Forecasters were calling for 3 inches of snow so I dutifully put on my Bean boots and figured that the ride back would be no big deal.  Was I wrong!

Snow started mid-morning and the presenter wound down a few minutes early. It was only (supposed to be) a 52-minute commute. An early event in the ride home gave me a clue that the ride may not be so simple. Big snowflakes were swirling robustly in the wind and I mistakenly turned into a park and ride instead of turning on to 295.  When I made it to the highway, I saw flashing signs warning drivers that the speed limit had been reduced to 45 miles per hour. 

Mild annoyance shifted quickly to pure gratitude for the reduction in speed limit. The going was worse than I expected.  In some spots, eighteen wheelers uncomfortably close because they, along with everyone else on the road, were following the tire grooves from previous vehicles. Snow around those narrow bands of pavement was several inches high. My dashboard registered 22 degrees outside. Much of the ride was done in the 21 to 25 mile per hour range. Until I got to Wells. 

What a difference a few miles makes! In Wells, the snow turned into big raindrops and the roads were suddenly clear. I actually thought that road crews had removed the snow already until I learned that it hadn’t snowed here. That rain/snow line is a curious thing. It reminded me that we could be just a few miles away from others who are experiencing entirely different conditions and be unaware of the difference. In fact, had I not been late for my meeting, others may not have known how bad the weather was elsewhere.
 
In a similar way, we may not know what others are going through, but just as surely as the sun is shining in York today; it is snowing somewhere-possibly just a few miles away. Even as we enjoy the sun and the almost 40- degree day, let’s be mindful of those who are experiencing a dark and stormy day.  Whether it’s your physical location or your social location, what a difference a few miles makes!

Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

1 John 3:17-18  How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister[ in need and yet refuses help?  Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 

James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.